Locked bead construction

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a locked bead type of tire construction where the turnup ends ( 242   a   , 242   b ) of the carcass plies ( 242 ) are tuned up around an elastomeric torus ( 246   a   , 246   b ) located outwardly from and adjacent to the bead cores ( 244   a   , 244   b ) so that the locked end sections ( 250   a   , 250   b ) of the plies are folded back and placed radially inward of the bead cores so they are anchored chored between the bead cores and the turnup ends of the carcass plies.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire, specifically to thecarcass ply turnup structure in the bead region and more specifically toa locked bead type of construction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In conventional tire construction, the carcass ply or plies are turnedup around the bead cores and then extended radially outward in thesidewalls towards the tread in order to withstand the tensile stressesencountered during the use of the tire. As these stresses act inopposite direction on the carcass ply or plies proper and their upwardturned portions, they cause shearing in the intermediate rubber.

Furthermore, the flexing of the sidewalls during travel subjects thecarcass reinforcement and the upward-turned portions thereof toalternate stresses, in opposite directions, which causing additionalshear stresses in this same zone. All of these stresses may lead to therupture of the intermediate rubber and premature destruction of thetire.

To avoid these drawbacks, tire designers have extended the upward turnedportions of the carcass plies into zones of lesser shear, that is to saya greater distance radially outward in the sidewalls; however, in suchcases the rigidity of the sidewalls is increased; ruptures of the upwardturned portions of the plies may take place by compression in thesidewalls and in any event the road behavior of the tire is greatlymodified.

The desirability of minimizing or eliminating the extension of theturnup portions of the carcass ply (or plies) radially outwardly of thebead core is the premise on which prior art locked-beads designs weredeveloped. The proposed advantages included improved bead durability,and reduced material costs. Furthermore, the locked-bead approach allowsthe sidewalls to have a reduced thickness in the vicinity of the beadregion. This reduced sidewall thickness results in a better distributionof flexibility that is particularly advantageous with tires having asmall height to width ratio (for example of the order of 0.6).

However, locked-bead tire designs require a careful consideration of howbest to anchor the carcass plies in the bead region without an excessiveconcentration of stress at the carcass ply ends.

One approach is to clamp the carcass plies to the bead core. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,985. ('985) discloses a carcass ply havinga main portion that extends between both head cores of the tire andturnup portions that are anchored around each bead core by a clampingmember. According to '985, the clamping member comprises a strip ofside-by-side cords of a heat shrinkable material embedded in a suitableelastomeric substance having a permanent thermal shrinkage of at least 2percent.

Another approach, as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,676, ('676) is toextend the portions of the carcass reinforcement that have been turnedupward around the bead rings toward the outside of the tire and embedthem in an annular portion of the tire that protrudes from the outerlower portion of the corresponding sidewall. According to '676, amechanical de-coupling is obtained between the elastic matricessurrounding the carcass reinforcement and its upward turned portions,thus eliminating shearing in these zones.

Another approach, as disclosed by WO95/23073 is, in each bead region ofthe tire, to wrap a turnup end of the carcass reinforcing ply around awedge-shaped rubber section which is disposed adjacent and axially (orlaterally) inward (towards the equatorial plane) of the bead.

It is continually the goal in the art to simplify the construction andreduce the expense of building locked-bead type tires, yet improve thedurability, handling, rolling resistance and other properties of thetires.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a more efficienttire bead manufacturing process as defined in one or more of theappended claims and as such, having the capability of accomplishing oneor more of the following subsidiary objects.

An aspect of the present invention is to improve bead durability byeliminating stresses at ply ending.

Another aspect of the present invention is to minimize the shearstresses at the chafer/ply interface in the bead area by eliminating theply turn-up around the bead.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is to maximize sidewallflexibility in the vicinity of the rim flange to increase the tire loadcapacity and improve rim-bead seating.

Other aspects and advantages of this invention will become readilyapparent as the invention is better understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings and the detailed description that follows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire, specifically to thecarcass ply turnup structure in the bead region and more specifically toa locked bead type of construction.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a pneumatic tirehaving a tread, a belt structure, and a carcass structure comprising apair of sidewalls, a pair of bead regions, and one or more plies of cordreinforced elastomeric material anchored in each bead region andextending radially outward through the sidewalls and laterally across acrown portion of the tire radially inward of tread.

The bead regions of the present invention each comprise an inextensibleannular bead core in a side-by-side relationship with a coaxialelastomeric torus, the torus placed outwardly adjacent to each bead corerelative to the equatorial plane of the tire. The carcass plies withineach bead region extend radially inward from the sidewalls and proceedinward of the bead core relative to the equatorial plane of the tire.The carcass plies are then wrapping around and radially outward of theelastomeric torus with the locked edge of the carcass plies located backunder and radially inward of the bead core.

The elastomeric torus can be made of pre-cured rubber or reinforced byfibers, including by way of example and not by way of limitation,materials such as glass Aramid, steel, or polyester.

A method of forming a tire according to the present invention using atire building drum of substantially conventional design upon which thecarcass plies, the bead core and the elastomeric torus are assembled.The method includes the steps of; placing the pair of elastomerictoruses over the carcass material for their incorporation in the beadregions of the tire; folding the margins of the carcass material overthe top of the elastomeric toruses; placing a bead core inwardlyadjacent to the enfolded elastomeric torus relative to the center of thedrum; and expanding the drum to hold the bead cores in place, inflatingthe carcass and completing the tire by conventional tire buildingprocesses.

The tire forming drum can be provided with a groove to hold the torus,Also the center of the drum may be expanded after the application of thebead core and before the addition of the chafer and other components toprevent bead deformation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will be made in detail to preferred embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. The drawings are intended to be illustrative, not limiting.

Certain elements in selected ones of the drawings may be illustratednot-to-scale, for illustrative clarity.

Often, similar elements throughout the drawings may be referred to bysimilar references numerals. For example, the element 199 in a figure(or embodiment) may be similar in many respects to the element 299 in another figure (or embodiment). Such a relationship, if any, betweensimilar elements in different figures or embodiments will becomeapparent throughout the specification, including, if applicable, in theclaims and abstract.

In some cases, similar elements may be referred to with similar numbersin a single drawing. For example, a plurality of elements 199 may bereferred to as 199 a, 199 b, 199 c, etc.

The cross-sectional views presented herein may be in the form of“slices”, or “near-sighted” cross-sectional views, omitting certainbackground lines which would otherwise be visible in a truecross-sectional view, for illustrative clarity.

The structure, operation, and advantages of the present preferredembodiment of the invention will become further apparent uponconsideration of the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is the cross-sectional view of a prior art tire with aconventional locked-bead construction;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the presentinvention incorporating and new generation of locked-bead construction;

FIG. 3 is a partial view of the bead region of a tire of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4A is a partial view of the present invention on a tire formingdrum during an initial step of the manufacturing process;

FIG. 4B is a partial view of the present invention on tire forming drumduring an intermediate step of the manufacturing process; and

FIG. 4C is a partial view of the present invention on a tire buildingdrum during a final step of the manufacturing process.

DEFINITIONS

“Apex” means an elastomeric filler located radially above the bead coreand between the plies and the turnup plies. “Aspect Ratio” means theratio of the section height of a tire to its section width; also refersto the cross-sectional profile of the tire; a low-profile tire, forexample, has a low aspect ratio.

“Axial” and “Axially” means the lines or directions that are parallel tothe axis of rotation of the tire.

“Bead” or “Bead Core” generally means that part of the tire comprisingan annular tensile member of radially inner beads that are associatedwith holding the tire to the rim; the beads being wrapped by ply cordsand shaped, with or without other reinforcement elements such asflippers, chippers, apexes or fillers, toe guards and chafers.

“Belt Structure” or “Reinforcement Belts” or “Belt Package” means atleast two annular layers or plies of parallel cords, woven or unwoven,underlying the tread, unanchored to the bead, and having both left andright cord angles in the range from 18 degrees to 30 degrees relative tothe equatorial plane of the tire.

“Breakers” or “Tire Breakers” means the same as belt or belt structureor reinforcement belts.

“Carcass” means the tire structure apart from the belt structure, tread,undertread over the plies, but including the beads.

“Casing” means the carcass, belt structure, beads, sidewalls and allother components of the tire excepting the tread and undertread.

“Circumferential” most often means circular lines or directionsextending along the perimeter of the surface of the annular treadperpendicular to the axial direction; it can also refer to the directionof the sets of adjacent circular curves whose radii define the axialcurvature of the tread, as viewed in cross section.

“Cord” means one of the reinforcement strands, including fibers, withwhich the plies and belts are reinforced.

“Crown” or “Tire Crown” means the tread, tread shoulders and theimmediately adjacent portions of the sidewalls.

“Equatorial Plane” means the plane perpendicular to the tire's axis ofrotation and passing through the center of its tread; or the planecontaining the circumferential centerline of the tread.

“Footprint” means the contact patch or area of contact of the tire treadwith a flat surface.

“Inner Liner” means the layer or layers of elastomeric or other materialthat form the inside surface of a tubeless tire and that contain theinflating fluid within the tire.

“Insert” means the crescent-shaped or wedge-shaped reinforcementtypically used to reinforce the sidewalls of runflat-type tires.

“Lateral” means a direction parallel to the axial direction.

“Ply” means a cord-reinforced layer of rubber coated radially deployedor otherwise parallel cords.

“Radial” and “radially” mean directions radially toward or away from theaxis of rotation of the tire.

“Radial Ply Structure” means the one or more carcass plies or which atleast one ply has reinforcing cords oriented at an angle of between 65degrees and 90 degrees with respect to the equatorial plane of the tire.

“Radial Ply Tire” means a belted or circumferentially-restrictedpneumatic tire in which at least one ply has cords which extend frombead to bead are laid at cord angles between 65 degrees and 90 degreeswith respect to the equatorial plane of the tire.

“Section Height” means the radial distance from the nominal rim diameterto the outer diameter of the tire at its equatorial plane.

“Section Width” means the maximum linear distance parallel to the axisof the tire and between the exterior of its sidewalls when and after ithas been inflated at normal pressure for 24 hours, but unloaded,excluding elevations of the sidewalls due to labeling, decoration orprotective bands.

“Shoulder” means the upper portion of sidewall just below the treadedge.

“Sidewall” means that portion of a tire between the tread and the bead.

“Tangential” and “Tangentially” refer to segments of circular curvesthat intersect at a point through which can be drawn a single line thatis mutually tangential to both circular segments.

“Tread Cap” refers to the tread and the underlying material into whichthe tread pattern is molded.

“Tread width” means the arc length of the tread surface in the planeincludes the axis of rotation of the tire.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Prior Art Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a prior art locked bead tire 110. Theprior art tire 110 has an annular tread 112 disposed radially outward ofannular belt structure 114. Radially inward of the belt structure 114,is a carcass structure 120 comprising one or more carcass plies 122extending laterally between bead cores 124 a,124 b. The turnup ends 122a,122 b of the carcass ply are turned up around the bead cores 124 a,124b and anchored to the beads by clamping members 126 a,126 b. Theclamping members 126 a,126 b comprise strips of side-by-side cords of aheat shrinkable material embedded in a suitable elastomeric substanceand having a permanent thermal shrinkage of at least 2 percent. Thisstrip of cords extends circumferentially and extends in contact with thecarcass ply 122 (or the innermost carcass if the tire is provided withmultiple carcass plies) from a location radially and axially inward ofthe bead core 124 a,124 b to a location radially outward of the beadcore and adjacent to the main portion of the carcass ply 122.

As is characteristic of prior art locked bead designs the carcass ply122 is turned up around the bead cores 124 a,124 b without anysignificant gaps between the carcass ply and the bead cores. In tiresaccording to this prior art embodiment, turned up ends 122 a,122 b ofthe carcass ply 122 extend radially outward from the bead core 124 a,124b a minimum distance to allow some pull-down of the carcass ply duringthe shaping and curing process. Otherwise the carcass ply 122 might notbe anchored to the bead cores 124 a,124 b by the clamping members 126a,126 b.

To the extent that the turned up ends 122 a,122 b of the carcass ply 122are placed adjacent to the main portion of the carcass ply 120 and thereis no filler or apex disposed between the main portion and the turned upportion of the carcass ply. The placement of the turned up ends 122a,122 b of the carcass ply 122 adjacent to the bead cores 124 a,124 band the main portion of the carcass ply 122 without fillers or apex isthe distinguishing characteristic of a locked bead type of tireconstruction.

Locked bead construction as exemplified by the prior art tire 110illustrated by FlG. 1 provides the sidewalls 116 a,116 b of the tirewith increased flexibility in the proximity of the bead cores 124 a,124b and reduces destructive shear stresses between the turned up ends 122a,122 b of the carcass ply 122 and the central portion of the carcassply 122 that are caused by bending. Because there are no fillers orapexes, the thickness of the sidewall 116 a,116 b in the proximity ofthe bead cores 124 a,124 b is minimized. With reduced thickness, thesidewalls 116 a,116 b provide a reduced resistance to bending. Since theturned up ends 122 a,122 b and the main portion of the carcass ply 122are adjacent, bending induced shear stresses between these portions ofthe carcass structure 120 are minimized. In addition, minimizing theradially inward extent of the turned up ends 122 a,122 b of carcass ply122 also effectively limits the extent of bending induced shear stressesbetween portions of the carcass ply 122.

Preferred Embodiment of the Present Invention

FIG. 2 illustrates an improved locked bead tire 230 according to thepresent invention. The tire 230 is provided with an annular tread 232and a belt structure 234 located radially inward of the tread. The tire230 has a carcass structure 240 comprising two sidewalls, 236 a,236 band two bead regions 238 a,238 b with at least one carcass ply 242having turnup ends 242 a,242 b anchored in bead region 238 a,238 b, asdiscussed in more detail below. The turnup ends extend radially outwardthrough sidewall 236 a,236 b, proceeding laterally and radially inwardof the belt structure 234, returning radially inward through sidewalls236 a,236 b and anchored in bead region 238 a,238 b.

The bead regions 238 a,238 b comprise an inextensible bead core 244 aand 244 b, respectively, and an elastomeric torus or ring 246 a and 246b, respectively. Each elastomeric torus 246 a,246 b is located laterallyoutward from and adjacent to the bead cores 244 a,244 b, respectively,relative to the equatorial plane EP of the tire 230. The elastomerictorus 246 a,246 b is preferably constructed of a pre-cured or partiallycured rubber so that the torus can be easily handled and will maintainits shape during the initial manufacturing stages. The toruses 246 a,246b can be reinforced by fibers of materials including glass, aramid,steel and polyester. Preferred section diameter of torus 246 a, 246 b is5 mm to 8 mm which is compatible with the carcass ply flexibility. Whilethe toruses are shown with a circular cross section, it is within thescope of the invention to provide a torus with other geometrical crosssections, such as but not limited to square, oblong, triangular andoctagonal.

Referring to FIG. 3, a detail the head region 238 b of the tire 230mounted on a tire rim 358 is illustrated. Bead region 238 a is a mirrorimage of bead region 236 b and therefore not discussed. As shown in FIG.3. ply 242 extends down sidewall 236 b and includes a turnup end 242 bthat initially wraps around and under bead core 244 b. Turnup end 242 bthen extends laterally outward under the bead core 244 b relative to theequatorial plane of tie tire 230, under the elastomeric torus 246 b andis then turned up and around the elastomeric torus 246 b. Continuing,the turnup end 242 b is folded back under the bead core 244 b so thatthe locked end section 250 b of the carcass ply turnup end 242 b islocated radially inward of the bead core 244 b and anchored between thebead core and the initial turn of the carcass ply end 242 b where itextends laterally outward from the central portion of ply 242 and aroundand under the bead core 244 b. Note that the locked end sections 250a,250 b can wrap around the bead cores 244 a,244 b and extend upwardadjacent against the central portion of the ply 242.

Dynamic Operation of the Preferred Embodiment Relative to the Prior Art

The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides all thebenefits of conventional locked bead construction, as shown in FIG. 1,including improved sidewall flexibility and the minimization of bendinginduced shear stresses where turned up portions of the carcass ply areplaced adjacent to main portions of the carcass ply. In typical tireconstruction, as shown in FIG. 1, due to the compression effect when thetire is deflected, harmful shear stress often occur where the turned upends 122 a,122 b of the carcass structure 120 extends radially outwardof the bead cores 124 a,124 b, respectively, as the load on the tire 110tends to pull the main portion of the carcass ply 122 radially outwardwhile the turned up end portions 122 a,122 b of the carcass 122 ispulled radially inward. These stresses are concentrated in the turned upends 122 a,122 b of the carcass structure 120 which are constrained bythe surrounding elastomeric material and with the assistance of clampingmembers 126 a,126 b as described herein for prior art locked bead tires.

The present invention addresses this issue by providing locked endsections 250 a,250 b of the turnup ends 242 a,242 b of the carcass ply242 radially inward of the bead cores 244 a,244 b, respectively, so thatthey are constrained between the bead cores 244 a,244 b and the turnupends 242 a,242 b and the main portion of the carcass ply 242. Thisimplies that the carcass ply 242 remains on tension when the tire isinflated or inflated and loaded. In addition, the elastomeric torus 246a,246 b performs a stress relief function that prevents concentrationsof stress in the carcass ply 242. Stresses in the cords of the carcassply will cause the elastomeric torus 246 a,246 b to deform reducing thestress on the carcass ply cords and facilitating the distribution ofstress between adjacent ply cords. In comparison, locked bead designswhere the carcass ply is anchored directly to an inextensible bead corewill see higher concentrations of stress at the interface between theply cords and the bead core.

Method of Manufacture

In accordance with the present invention the carcass ply 242 is securelyanchored in the bead regions 238 a,238 b of the tire 230 withoutrequiring the extension of a turned up ends 242 a,242 b of the carcassply to extend radially outward beyond the bead cores 238 a,238 b. Thisis accomplished by first turning the ends 242 a,242 b of the carcass ply242 up around the elastomeric torus 246 a,246 b, respectively withanchored end sections 250 a,250 b disposed against the ends 242 a,242 bof the ply 242. The bead cores 244 a,244 b are then placed on the outerfacing surface of anchored end sections 250 a,250 band inwardly adjacentto the now enfolded elastomeric torus 246 a,246 b relative to theequatorial plane of the tire 230 thereby securing the anchored endsections 250 a,250 b of the ply 242 radially inward of the bead cores244 a,244 b.

Referring to FIGS. 4A,4B and 4C, several steps in the process of Formingthe bead regions 238 a,238 b using a substantially conventional tirebuilding drum are illustrated. Only the formation of bead region 235 bis described, since both regions are formed in the same manner. FIG. 4Aillustrates the initial step in process of building the tire 230according to the present invention wherein the carcass ply 242 is placedon the tire building drum 452 followed by the addition of theelastomeric torus 246 b above a groove 454 b formed in a section 452 b.At rest, the inside diameter of the elastomeric torus 246 b shouldpreferably be slightly smaller than the diameter of the drum 452 at thebottom of the groove 454 b during the initial building step. Theelastomeric torus 246 b may be held in place within groove 454 b insection 452 b of the drum by pressing the elastomeric torus into groove454 b by any conventional means. As illustrated by FIG. 4B, the turnupend 242 b of the carcass ply 242 is then folded back over theelastomeric torus 246 b toward the center section 452 e of the drum 452and the bead core 244 b is placed upon the locked or anchored endsection 250 b inwardly of and adjacent to the now enfolded torus 246 brelative to the center portion 452 c of building drum 452. Referring toFIG. 4C, the center portion 452 c of the drum 452 is expanded prior tothe addition of the chafer 248 b to prevent movement of the bead core244 b when the carcass 242 is inflated and the manufacture of the tire230 is completed by conventional tire building processes well known tothose familiar with the art.

While the invention has been described in combination with embodimentsthereof, it is evidents that many alternatives, modificationvarification will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light ofthe foreging teachings. Accordingly, the invention is intended toembrace all such alternatives, modifications and varification as fallwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A pneumatic tire having a tread, a belt structure, a pair ofsidewalls, a pair of bead regions, one or more plies anchored in eachbead region, the pair of bead regions each including an inextensibleannular bead core and an elastomeric element disposed adjacent to eachbead core, wherein: the elastomeric element is disposed axiallyoutwardly from the bead core relative to the equatorial plane of thetire; the carcass ply having a pair of turnup ends within the beadregions that extend radially inward from the carcass ply and under thebead cores relative to the equatorial plane of the tire, the turnup endscontinue under and are turned up wrapping around the elastomericelements, wrapping around the elastomeric element with the locked endsections of the carcass ply located radially inward of the bead coresand anchored between the bead cores and the carcass plies; the bead coreis in a side-by-side relationship with the elastomeric element; and thetire has a locked bead type of construction, a distinguishingcharacteristic of which is that there is no filler or apex disposedbetween a main portion and a turned up portion of the carcass ply. 2.The tire of claim 1 characterized in that the elastomeric elements aremade of pre-cured rubber.
 3. The tire of claim 2 characterized in thatthe elastomeric elements are reinforced by fibers of materials includingglass, Aramid, steel or polyester.
 4. A method of forming a tire on atire building drum, characterized by the steps of: placing a carcass plyon the drum; placing a pair of elastomeric toruses over the carcass plyfor their incorporation in bead regions of the tire; folding turnup endsof the carcass ply back over the elastomeric toruses so that anchoredend sections are disposed against the turnup ends; placing bead coresinward of and adjacent to the enfolded elastomeric toruses relative tothe center of the building drum; expanding the center section of thebuilding drum to secure the bead cores in place; and inflating thecarcass to form the tire; wherein; the head cores are in a side-by-siderelationship with the elastomeric elements; and the tire has a lockedbead type of construction, a distinguishing characteristic of which isthat there is no filler or apex disposed between a main portion and aturned up portion of the carcass ply.
 5. The process of claim 4including the step of providing the tire building drum with grooves toreceive the elastomeric toruses.
 6. The process of claim 4 where thecenter section of the building drum is expanded before the addition ofchafer and other tire components on the drum.
 7. The tire of claim 1,wherein: the elastomeric elements are in the form of toruses, and eachhas a circular cross section.
 8. A pneumatic tire comprising: an axisand an equatorial plane; a tread region, two bead regions, and twosidewalls; a reinforcing ply and two bead cores; wherein: each sidewallextends generally radially between a respective one of the bead regionsand the tread region; each bead core is disposed in a respective one ofthe bead regions; the reinforcing ply extends from one bead core,through a corresponding one of the sidewalls, through the tread region,through the other sidewall, to the other bead core; the reinforcing plyhas two turnup ends at opposite ends thereof, and the turnup ends wrapat least partially around a respective one of the bead cores; furthercomprising two elastomeric elements; wherein: each elastomeric elementis disposed in a respective one of the bead regions adjacent arespective one of the bead cores; characterized in that: the elastomericelement is disposed axially inward outward of the respective bead core;wherein: the bead core is in a side-by-side relationship with theelastomeric element; and the tire has a locked bead type of constructiona distinguishing characteristic of which is that there is no filler orapex disposed between a main portion and a turned up portion of thecarcass ply.
 9. The tire of claim 8, wherein: the elastomeric elementsare in the form of toruses, and each has a circular cross section. 10.The tire of claim 8, wherein: the elastomeric elements are in the formof toruses, and each has a cross-section selected from the groupconsisting of square, oblong, triangular, and octagonal.
 11. The tire ofclaim 8 characterized in that: the elastomeric elements are made ofpre-cured rubber.
 12. The tire of claim 8 characterized in that: theelastomeric elements are reinforced by fibers of materials includingglass, Aramid, steel or polyester.
 13. The tire of claim 8, wherein:each turnup end extends radially downwardly past the axially inward sideof a respective one of the bead cores.
 14. The tire of claim 8, wherein:each turnup end extends axially outwardly under the bead core, thenunder a respective one elastomeric elements.
 15. The tire of claim 14,wherein: each turnup end wraps radially upward around the axiallyoutward side of the elastomeric element.
 16. The tire of claim 15,wherein: each turnup end extends axially inwardly over the elastomericelement and radially downwardly by the axially inward side of theelastomeric element.
 17. The tire of claim 16, wherein: each turnup endextends axially inwardly under the bead core, between the bead anditself.